Machine for impregnating thread with virus.



No. 680,898. Patented Au /20, 19m;

- n. worms.

MACHINE FOB IMPREGNATING THBEAD'L' WITH VIRUS.

(Application filed Mat. 27, 1900') 2 Sheets8heet (No Model.)

WI'FHE; as Ls YHE Nmims FDERS co. wornumou WASHINGTON, n. c

- 0. THOMAS. MACHINE FOR IMPBEGNATING nm'smu www'vmus.

(Applicufiion filed Mar. 27, 1900.!

Patented Aug. 20, IBM.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

fi-Ji ONESIME THOMAS, OF VERDUN, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE PASTEUR VACCINECOMPANY, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR IMPREGNATING THREAD WlTl-l VIRUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,898, dated August20, 1901. Application filed March 27, I900. Serial No. 10,394. (Nomodel.)

To 'ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ONESIME THOMAS, a citizen of the Republic of France,residing at Verdun, in the department of Mouse and Republic of France,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forImpregnating Thread with Virus; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Vaccination by a virulent thread or one impregnated with virus consistsin inserting under the skin or in the muscles of an animal a threadimpregnated with a quick or slow acting virus, either natural or culti-Vated, for the purpose of creating an immu nity and preservation fromcontagious diseases. It is inserted by means of a needle speciallyconstructed for this purpose. The needle and thread take the place ofthe Pra var syringe and other instruments of inoculation. In order thatimmunity can be acquired without risk of death, it is absolutelynecessary to give a dose of accurately-measured quantity. Too small adose of virus will produce little or no efiect. Too great a dose will befollowed by general infection and occasion death. Therefore in order toavoid these extremes a thread impregnated with Virus to an extent ofmathematical precision is used. This method of preparation and dosing orproportioning comprises several operations which I will now explain.

Preparation of the thrcada-The threads can be of cotton, wool, or anyother material. The essential feature is that they must be very Wellspun, of uniform thickness, regularly twisted, and all foreignsubstances eliminated therefrom. They must be rendered antiseptic by aprolonged treatment in boiling water or in a heated oven. Cotton threadswill previously be rendered absorbent to moisture by ordinary processes.They are then wound'on bobbins and placed in a Very dry place, or,better still, in a drying oven or stove of moderate temperature.

Impregnaiz'on of the thread.-Tl1e impregnation is efiected by drawing itthrough a virulentliquid previously titrated. The bobbin filled withthread is placed on an axis and is unwound bya rotative movement. Onleaving the bobbin the thread is immersed in a conical glass, reachesthe bottom, and reascends after entering a discharge tube or device,whence it is wound along a windlasss to dry. The virulent liquidcontained in the glass is thus traversed by the thread twice from thetop to the bottom and from the bottom to the top, a circumstance whichpermits of its treatment through the whole depth of liquid. Thedischarge tube or device is a cylindrical conical glass tube. Thecylindrical part is of smaller diameter adjacent to the bottom of theglass from which it is removed a distance of a few millimeters. Theconical part is drawn down to a small orifice of exact and determinedsize. It is in traversing this orifice that the thread discharges itselfand gets rid of the excess of absorbed liquid. With an orifice too largeor free the thread carries with it an excess of liquid and drops ofliquid fall from the thread as it is rolled on the dryingdrum. With anorifice too contracted it will not absorb enough virus. The dischargingdevice is the most important element of the apparatus that I haveinvented.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation. Fig. 2is an endelevation. Fig. 3is a sectional elevation of a portion of the mechanismon an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 5 an endView of the same. Figs. 1 and 2 show the complete apparatus, and Figs.3, 4., and 5 details.

An apparatus for simultaneously impreg nating two pairs of threads isillustrated but it will be understood that the construction may bemodified, so that any other convenient number of threads may besaturated at the same time.

- The apparatus comprises a base V, above which are mounted the twoparallel reels T T in suitable bearings on the two pairs of standards WW. In the base V, parallel with the axes of the reels, there are twotraversing screws K K, on which are two carriages L L.

These carriages are supported and guided by the parallel rods 10.70 isk, and each is fitted with a nut or device capable of engaging with andof being disengaged from its traversing screw by a movement of thehandle M. Upon each carriage, as shown, there are four bobbins 0b a ofthe thread to be impregnated carried on horizontal spindles and theimpregnating vessel X or X. This vessel has an inverted conoidal form,and there is held coaxially with it the central tube 00 or as, the lowerpart of which approaches but does not touch the bottom of the vessel.The upper end of this tube is drawn out, so as to leave a small openingfor the exit of the thread or threads, as hereinefter described. Thedimensions of this opening have to be very accurately determined andmade good, as the precise degree of impregnation depends absolutelythereon.

Assuming me'ncement of their traverse, the threads from the two bobbinson each carriage are led to the bottom of the impregnating vessel upthrough the central tube, and their free ends are attached to the reel.Virus is then in the vessel and the apparatus is put into motion. Thelongitudinal motion of the carriages simultanously with the rotarymotion of the reels insures that the impregnated threads shall be woundon the latter without fear that the convolutions can touch each otherwhile the threads are being wound and drying. The fact that the threadpasses twice through the whole depth of the liquid virus and that allthe superfluous liquid is accurately and equally removed by the gagedexit from the tube insures an absolute uniformity of impregnationthroughout the threads. When the carriage has reached the end of thereel, the threads may be cut and the carriage be returned to itsstartingpoint. The reels may then be removed and be substituted by otherreels, with which the operation is repeated. The fact that the spiralsof thread on the reels are not close together andthat the reels, likethe ordinary "winding-reels used in textile manufactures,

have not solid barrels, but peripheral staves, permits free circulationof air between the threads, thus promoting the drying operation.

The two reels are respectively rotated from the shafts l and F by thepitch-chains b b, passing around chain-wheels on the shafts and thereel-spindles. The traversing screws K K are also driven from the shaftsI F by the pitch-chains e e and chain-wheels onthe ends of the screwsand the shafts, respectively.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, it will be seen that the shaftsland F are geared together by the spur-wheels i f, so that motionimparted to one is partaken by the other.

These two wheels are integral with the two clutches H H, which areengaged by projec-.

tions from the rod 71., having the handle S by means of which it can bemoved back orforth in the direction of its axis, but the rod can be thecarriages to be at the complaced v ceases moved otherwise, as will nowbe described. On the rod h are pivoted the lower ends of the verticallevers R P, which have fingers R 0, extending through the base V. Thesetwo levers being connected by the rod it move together. One of thelevers R has attached to it a spring R, the other end of which isconnected to a fixed part 1". The tendency of this spring is to pull theclutches H H out of gear. The tip of the finger O is held while the apparatus is in action by the trigger N, which has the two teeth y y. Assoon as the carriage L reaches the end of the reel it comes into contactwith and releases the trigger N, whereupon the spring B pulls theclutches H H out of gear and the apparatus comes to rest. The secondtooth yf in'the triggerNis to hold the clutches in anintermediate'position, so that the reels may then be freely rotated byhand. When the trigger is released, the spring draws back the clutch Hinto contact with the stop Q, which has two projections q q. The clutchH having a corresponding projection or projections t, which come betweenthe projections q, it follows that the clutch is then practicallylocked. It is then that the finger O is moved into the second tooth y ofthe trigger N, if it be desired to r0 tate the reels. wound and duringthe return motion of the carriage L it encounters the finger R theclutches being then out of gear, and moves the finger, and consequentlyalso the rod h and clutches, into the mid-position,where they are heldby the tooth y, so that the reels may be rotatable.

The apparatus is put into action through the shaft A, which can beturned by a motor or by hand. On this shaft there is a miter wheel,Figs. 1 and 2, which gears with another miter-wheel on the shaft of thefriction disk B. This disk is parallel with the shaft F, on which thereis the sliding contact-roller C, the position of which on the disk canbe altered by moving the guide D by hand. If the frictionalcontact-roller C be moved nearer to the periphery of the disk, therotation of the shaft F will be at an increased rate and the contrary.

The reels are mounted upon spindles which can be slid in, and thus beremoved from their bearings. They are normally held in place by a rodhaving the handle or head U and a spring coiled around the rod andpressing it against the end of the reel-spindle. If the 'rod be pulledoutward, the spindle can be released, and with it the reel.

The chain-Wheels which drive the reels and the-traversing screws arefitted upon the parts J J of the shafts F and I.

It issometi'mes necessary to'a'dj ust the pres sure between-the frictioncontact-roller O and the disk B. For this purpose the shaft F, whichcarries the roller and is fulcrumed in its bearingsQ, may be raised andlowered, so as to produce the desired effect, by means of an adjListing-screw E, attached by its lower After the reels have beenend to asleeve near the end of the shaft farther from Q. Consequently thissleeve acts as a second bearing for the shaft F.

I claim- 1 1. The combination with a vessel, of a drum adjacent thereto,means for moving the vessel parallel with the drum, and means forremoving surplus liquid from a thread drawn through the vessel and woundupon the drum.

2. The combination with a drum, of a carriage movable paralleltherewith, a vessel on said carriage, a screw for imparting movement tothe carriage, a constantlydriven shaft, and gearing connecting saidshaft with the screw and also with the drum.

3. The combination with a drum, of a carriage movable paralleltherewith, a vessel on said carriage, a screw for imparting movement tothe carriage, a constantlydriven shaft, gearing connecting said shaftwith the screw and also with the drum, and means for automaticallydisconnecting the screw and stopping the shaft when the carriage reachesthe end of its travel.

l. The combination with a drum, of a carriage movable paralleltherewith, a vessel on said carriage, a screw for imparting movement tothe carriage, a constantly-driven shaft, an intermediate shaft geared tothe screw and also to the drum, means for antomatically disconnectingthe screw and stopping the intermediate shaft when the car riage reachesthe end of its travel, and means for permitting the intermediate shaftto rotate the drum without actuating the screw.

5. The combination with a shaft A, of a friction-disk B geared thereto,a shaft F hav ing a friction-wheel G longitudinally movable thereon oversaid disk, a clutch H splined on said shaft F, a sleeve I loose on thesame shaft and adapted to be engaged by the clutch, a bearing Q havinglugs to engage with the clutch, a spring for opening the clutch andengagingit with said lugs, aleverP connected with said clutch, a detentN for locking said lever, a screw K geared to the sleeve 1, a car riageL engaged by said screw and adapted to trip the detent N, a rock-shaftcarrying an arm E lying in the path of the carriage, said rock-shaftbeing connected by an arm with the lever P, a drum T parallel with saidscrew and geared to the shaft F, and a vessel mounted on said carriage.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignatnre in presence of two witnesses.

oniisrnn THOMAS;

Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN;

